To help fill a huge gap in the nation’s cybersecurity workforce, the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday reintroduced a bill that would provide full scholarships to college students pursuing a two-year cyber degree in exchange for government service.
But Democrats on the committee wondered if Americans’ interest in working for the U.S. government has been cooled by the Trump administration’s ongoing cutbacks and reviews at federal agencies.
At a hearing Wednesday examining the nation’s cybersecurity workforce, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tennessee) noted that there are 500,000 cybersecurity jobs currently open in the U.S., which hampers the country’s ability to defend against threats to not only national security, but also business and industry and private citizens. To expand the workforce pipeline, he reintroduced the Cyber PIVOTT Act (short for the Providing Individuals Various Opportunities for Technical Training to Build a Skills-Based Cyber Workforce Act), which would create an ROTC-like program that would offer scholarships in exchange for two years of service at federal, state, local or other government entities. (The American Association of Community Colleges supports the bill.)
However, Democrats on the committee attacked the Trump administration for not only dampening any interest in working for the federal government but also for expanding potential cyber risks by allowing Elon Musk, as head of the president’s Department of Government Efficiency, access to federal payment and other systems.
“What’s the point of having a pipeline to education if you’re taking away all the jobs?” asked Rep. Dan Goldman (D-New York).
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island) added that cybersecurity personnel work at most federal agencies, not just the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, FBI, CIA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which would manage the Cyber PIVOTT program. That includes the departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services and other agencies.
Panel of experts
At the hearing, a panel comprising officials from education and training and other organizations outlined ways to address the workforce shortage challenges facing the cyber workforce, such as expanding awareness and access to cyber education to K-12 and military veterans entering into civilian life, as well as reskilling and upskilling the current cyber workforce. Rob Rashotte, vice president of the Fortinet Training Institute, said the most pressing issue is access to education and training, as well as outdated job requirements.
“While financial constraints are often a factor for those looking to start a career in the field, a major obstacle remains the persistent reliance of companies and government agencies on traditional four-year degrees as a primary requirement for cybersecurity roles,” he said in his written testimony. “This outdated requirement should no longer serve as a default filtering mechanism in the hiring process.”
Rashotte cited several partnerships among industry, academia and government to address cyber training challenges, including his firm’s work with Northeast State Community College (Tennessee), Sinclair Community College (Ohio) and Mohave Community College (Arizona), which have introduced two-year cybersecurity degree programs.
David Russomanno, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Memphis, emphasized the lack of broader access to several existing federal cybersecurity programs, such CyberCorps. Community colleges can only access the program as sub-awardees of a partnering four-year institution, he said.
The Cyber PIVOTT Act also would provide a pathway for participating community college students to continue to a four-year college, Russomanno said. He noted a “delayed service” clause in the bill would delay a requirement of government service for students receiving the scholarships if they enroll in a four-year program after completion.
“This clause will be an attractive incentive for many students as they are considering career goals,” he said.
